Hello, hoopheads! The longest win streak in the WNBA this season came to an end last night, as the Los Angeles Sparks (12-18) stunned the Minnesota Lynx (25-7) to end their longest win streak in a decade at 10 straight. I haven’t kept track of these things, but I’m pretty sure I, on the other hand, remain undefeated at making on-paper blowouts become bangers simply by saying they don’t look like a fair fight, with the exception of the one day when I turned said ability into a whole bit and the blowouts came to pass. The Sparks win moved them a half-game closer to the idle Washington Mystics (17-12) and the final playoff spot, but they remain 5.5 games back with 14 to play. The Lynx, on the other hand, saw their cushion atop the standings shrink by a full game after the Las Vegas Aces (22-9) avoided a season sweep at the hands of the Indiana Fever (19-12) thanks to Chelsea Gray’s buzzer-beaters and a couple big-time fuck-ups by Caitlin Clark. The Aces now sit 2.5 games back of the top spot, while the Golden State Valkyries (21-9) are a half-game behind them. The entire playoff bracket is separated by just 6.5 games after Minnesota’s loss, while Indiana’s loss left it tied with the Dallas Wings (19-12) for the No. 5 seed, a half-game behind the Atlanta Dream (19-11) and a half-game ahead of the No. 7 seed New York Liberty (19-13).
Speaking of my beloved Liberty, they were in the news last night despite being off, as the team announced first that it had waived veteran Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, then a little while later that it had signed rookie guard Marine Fauthoux to a multi-year contract. Laney-Hamilton was an All-Star and WNBA champion with the Liberty, who signed with the franchise in 2021 and was with it through its turnaround from an afterthought in both the WNBA and New York sports into one of the league’s most prominent and popular franchises. Post Presence readers will know, however, that things hadn’t exactly been going her way this season after missing all of 2025 due to a knee injury suffered in Unrivaled. I’m not going to rehash the basketball reasons why this wasn’t surprising, aside from the fact that the Liberty could only play Fauthoux one more time before they either had to sign her for the rest of the season — which meant freeing up a roster spot — or let her go. Given that Fauthoux had clearly moved ahead of Marine Johannès in the rotation over the last few games, there was really no question that they were going to be signing Fauthoux. That was also covered here in recent weeks, but knowing that Laney-Hamilton’s exit was likely coming didn’t make it hurt any less. I hope that whichever team claims her on waivers or signs her gets the Betnijah who Liberty fans fell in love with five years ago, not the one whose last act on the floor for the team was throwing a shoe. As for Fauthoux, the best thing I can wish for her is that when she inevitably leaves New York, Liberty fans are just as bummed about it as we are to see BLH go.
Moving on to tonight’s schedule, we’ve got a hell of a doubleheader on tap, plus a third game that definitely exists among the 330 in the WNBA regular season. Leading off tonight's double main event are the Atlanta Dream (19-11) and Washington Mystics (17-12) (7:30 ET, ION/League Pass), who have a chance to pull back into a virtual tie with the Liberty (who own the tiebreaker, although the Mystics have games in hand) and within a half-game of the Dream. Have I mentioned lately that the bottom of the playoff bracket is pretty tightly packed? This is one of those particularly pivotal matchups that not only features two of the teams jockeying for position, but which will also determine who owns the head-to-head tiebreaker, with the season series currently split 1-1. Each of the meetings has come within the first week of the last three months, with Atlanta hanging a 109-77 home thumping on the Mystics back on June 6 before Washington struck back in an 81-76 win over the Dream in the nation’s capital two days before America’s 250th birthday.
Atlanta is looking to win for the seventh time in its last eight games, as well as the eighth time in 10 games since a five-game skid which included its more recent meeting with Washington. The Dream are coming off of a relatively easy 96-82 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday after taking a whooping from the Aces on their home floor two nights prior. Atlanta posted an offensive rating of 115.7 points per 100 possessions according to Her Hoop Stats in the win over the Mercury, improving to 12-2 (.857) when they score at a rate of at least 105 points per 100 possessions (105 is the new 100, if you hadn’t heard) as compared to 7-10 (.412) when they don’t.
Washington has won five in a row for the first time since its lone championship season in 2019, most recently taking down the Wings by a 96-92 margin on Wednesday to improve to 10-5 (.667) in games decided by five or fewer points. That’s the most close games and most close wins in the league, although they still behind the Aces (5-2) for the best winning percentage in close after the champs’ nailbiter last night. Washington is 14-5 (.737) when it holds opponents to offensive ratings under 105, but just 3-7 when opponents reach the new 100. That said, the win over Dallas and one over Las Vegas earlier in this streak are among ones when the Mystics allowed ratings of 105+, so there’s reason to believe their offense is starting to catch up to their defense.
The second half of tonight’s doubleheader-with-a-third-game features the Golden State Valkyries (21-9) at the Dallas Wings (19-12) (9:30 ET, ION/League Pass), with the tiebreaker once again at stake in the second meeting of three between the teams. The Valkyries won the first by a 91-80 margin at Ballhalla on the final night of Commissioner’s Cup play aside from the title game, which never happened according to the record books anyway. As a result, the Wings need a win to avoid losing the head-to-head tiebreaker regardless of what happens when they return to Ballhalla in 10 days. Gabby Williams led the way with 25 points in the first meeting with Dallas, much like she led the way as a human being yesterday in voicing her unequivocal support for transgender athletes, including one hypothetically within her own locker room or across from her on the court. You will note, by the way, that there’s not quite the same level of mainstream media coverage being devoted to Williams’ comments — coming from an All-Star and probably the best free-agent signing of the offseason — as there is to the views of that middling bench player who happens to know Caitlin Clark and whose name I don’t use. I wish that the Liberty’s stars would use their substantial platforms to follow Williams’ lead, just like I wished they would be leaders on this issue themselves when given the chance during All-Star weekend.
The Valkyries are looking for a third straight win after a pair of double-digit victories over the Toronto Tempo which were one-point games at the half before Golden State took over. Those wins gave Golden State 11 in its last 13 games after following up a nine-game win streak with losses bookending the All-Star break. On a less positive note, those wins also made it five straight games in which the Valkyries have given up triple-digit offensive ratings after holding their previous eight opponents to marks under 100 points per 100 possessions. Granted, they’ve been pretty tough to beat as long as opponents don’t get significantly past the fabled rating of 105, with a 21-3 (.875) record when opponents have a rating of 105.3 or worse points per 100 possessions according to Her Hoop Stats (0-6 when they go higher, with marks of 107.7+ in all six games).
Dallas is trying to avoid a fifth loss in seven games, a stretch which started with a seemingly forgivable overtime loss to the Liberty with Paige Bueckers sidelined, but which now just looks like the start of a bad run of play. The Wings’ only wins in this stretch came against non-playoff teams Portland (by four points in a dead arena on the night Sarah Ashlee Barker was lost for the season) and the lowly, detestable Connecticut Sun (by 20). The Wings have lost four in a row to playoff teams as well as seven of their last eight such games, with the lone win coming in a different meeting with the Liberty when they were at their absolute worst. Their last win over a playoff team before that was during Commissioner’s Cup play, so they could really use one as they continue a stretch of both ridiculous travel and six games against playoff teams out of seven. The good news for the Wings is that once they get out of this gauntlet, they won’t see a playoff team over their final seven games.
Also on tonight’s schedule, tipping simultaneously with the Dream and Mystics, are the Phoenix Mercury (12-20) and those aforementioned detestable Connecticut Sun (7-23) (7:30 ET, ION/League Pass). These are, of course, both bad teams, and ones I don’t particularly like. Still, it is notable that this will be the last time that Alyssa Thomas, whose 27 career triple-doubles are 22 more than anyone else has in WNBA history (including playoffs), faces the team with whom she spent the bulk of her hall-of-fame career. The Sun will fittingly retire AT’s number 25 tonight a couple months before closing up shop at Mohegan Sun, and if the Houston Fauxmets have a shred of honor, they’ll hang her jersey from the rafters too. That said, I know who their owner is, so I’m not holding my breath.